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In a surprise move this week the government revealed that homes using renewable energy provided through the national grid will not qualify as zero-carbon.

In long-awaited guidance on the government鈥檚 Code for Sustainable Homes, published on Monday, the communities department caught the housebuilding industry unawares by decreeing that off-site renewable sources of energy such as windfarms 鈥渨ould not be eligible unless directly connected to the development concerned鈥�.

It was previously expected that developments would be able to purchase green power from some of the large offshore and remote windfarms being constructed in the UK.

Yvette Cooper, the housing minister, said: 鈥淭he ambition for all new homes to be zero-carbon by 2016 is a challenging one. We need to work closely with housebuilders and the green technology industry.鈥�

Chris Watts, director of sustainable construction and technology at consultant Beyond Green, said: 鈥淒oes it matter where the energy is produced as long as it is renewable? There are some developers who really want to do the right thing and this just makes it an impossible task.鈥�

The Home Builders Federation said it would be difficult for all developers to apply the zero-carbon criteria immediately, but welcomed a promise to keep the definition under review as technologies developed.

The government鈥檚 declaration came as zero-carbon homes costing below 拢500,000 became exempt from stamp duty on 1 October, as announced in this year鈥檚 Budget.

However, the communities department and Treasury appeared to be at odds on this issue.

Cooper鈥檚 department was unable to confirm that the Treasury would use the same zero-carbon homes definition to determine which homes qualified for the zero rate.